Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Actress Kyla Pratt Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry
What drives me is the joy I get being able to do what I love for a living. Tell stories and move people in some way. My girls get to see mommy do it all and I love it. Also knowing that there are young women who look to me in some way and can see themselves. Change in the industry going forward? Hmmmm maybe just for things to keep going in the direction I see it going now. More and more opportunities for different kinds of people. More representation of what the world actually looks like, and the publicizing of these projects for the world to see.
As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Kyla Pratt.
Kyla Pratt is an actress of African American descent who is the oldest of 5 children raised in Los Angeles, CA.
At the age of 8, Pratt began her career in commercials and as a guest star on notable shows such as “Friends,” “Family Matters,” “Sister, Sister,” “Moesha” and “Lizzy McGuire.”
Her career notably took off after she booked a leading part in “Dr. Doolittle” opposite Eddie Murphy as “Maya”, his quirky daughter who also had the skill of being able to speak to animals. She continued to star in the series and ultimately became the leading character once Eddie ultimately departed.
Her notoriety from the films led to other notable film and television jobs, including leading parts in “Love and Basketball,” “Fat Albert,” “Hotel for Dogs,” “One on One” and “Let’s Stay Together.” She additionally starred as the voice of “Penny Proud” in the hit animated series “The Proud Family.”
More recently, Pratt starred in the series “Recovery Road,” as well as starring in the hit movie “No Time Like Christmas.” She also was in the FOX pilot “Patty’s Auto,” created by Darlene Hunt. In 2021 she will be seen in FOX’s new series “Call Me Kat” and will reprise her role as “Penny Proud” in a reboot of” The Proud Family” for Disney+.
Pratt resides in Los Angeles with her 3 children and partner.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in and all around Los Angeles, California. I have lots of siblings, so my home was always busy. I started acting at an earlier age. Many kids had sports and after school clubs, but I went on auditions as a hobby. I was in regular school until 10th grade when I began working on the sitcom “One on One”. I was a master at balancing time on set working and time with family and friends.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
A: At 6 years old I was introduced to the acting world by watching my mom perform in multiple plays in the Los Angeles area. My grandmother was on a plane bragging about her grandchildren, showing photos to strangers. One of the strangers worked in the modeling world and asked if I would like to participate in a show. At that show, and at 7 years old, I got my first agent and manager, and I have been an actress ever since. I fell in love with it at an early age and cant imagine if it had never come into my life the way it did.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
A: The most interesting? Ummmm maybe the opportunity to work with legends at 9 years old and not realizing it. I was 9 when I got the pleasure of acting alongside Eddie Murphy and Ossie Davis in the film ‘Dr. Dolittle.’
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
A: The only mistake I think I ever made (because I started so early) was thinking and complaining about not being able to see my friends if I wasn’t in regular school. Then, one day realizing that if they were my real friends, I would see them outside of my school campus. That was around 8th grade…….
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
A: I am grateful for my mother. I was brought into this industry so young. I never felt forced to work. I was always given the option. I never was treated better than anyone else in my family because of the work I was doing. I truly feel that’s why I have been able to survive this long in a somewhat crazy industry.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
A: You will fail. So many times. In this business you will constantly hear the word NO, and it will make you feel like you aren’t good enough. But, you have to push through that feeling. Keep practicing. Keep studying. Stay focused, and know that the yes will come when it is supposed to.
What drives you to get up everyday and work in TV and Film? What change do you want to see in the industry going forward?
A: What drives me is the joy I get being able to do what I love for a living. Tell stories and move people in some way. My girls get to see mommy do it all and I love it. Also knowing that there are young women who look to me in some way and can see themselves. Change in the industry going forward? Hmmmm maybe just for things to keep going in the direction I see it going now. More and more opportunities for different kinds of people. More representation of what the world actually looks like, and the publicizing of these projects for the world to see.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
A: Thank You. I am currently working on “Call Me Kat” which airs Thursday nights on FOX and available to binge on Hulu. We are also rebooting “The Proud Family” for Disney plus which is set to release sometime this year. I see myself continuing to keep popping up randomly on your screens and learning more and more about the other side of the camera.
We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?
A: It is extremely important to have diversity represented in film and television. There is no better feeling than seeing your self represented in any form of entertainment. Young people need to know they are apart of something; that they are special and their independent selves, but also they are not alone. Seeing themselves or someone who looks or acts like them or is going through similar things they are going through can really help during such an eye opening time in their lives.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
1. Its ok to fail
2. Be on time
3. Start now
4. There is only one you
5. Let it go
Can you share with our readers any self care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.
A: Self care routines for me include meditation, eating whole foods, working out (intense and mellow) resting, sleeping, time with loved ones, and massages.
Self care is extremely important. Sometime we don’t realize how busy physically and mentally we are throughout the day. Meditation is something I don’t do as often as I would like but I am working on incorporating more into my routine. My mind is constantly moving so its nice to slow down and allow my thoughts to relax and practice deep breathing.
Resting and sleeping are two different things in my book. Sleeping is when your body shuts all the way down and resting is when you just allow yourself to just be. Whether its relaxing to watch a movie, reading a book, laying by a pool, etc.
Eating whole foods is essential to self care. We all have busy lives. Most of the time we rush to eat something that is there for us in a box or a fast food drive thru. Putting actual food from the earth into our bodies is one of the best things you could do for you.
Working out is one of my favorite forms or self care. My man told me years ago, don’t look as it a torture for what you ate but look it as a celebration of what your body can do. I love competitive sports, pilates, and yoga. But no matter what, just make sure you get up and move. Also, the massages are a must to go along with recovery and relaxing.
Spending time with loved ones and people who make you feel good and root for you in every way is the best. Surround yourself with good energy.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Live with No Excuses, Love with No regrets”
Don’t make excuses, and absolutely no regrets. Live life, give love, and accept love…….Our experiences shape us into who we are meant to be. Learning from what we have been through is the goal. Don’t dwell, live, and learn. Don’t make excuses for why you cant move forward with anything and don’t allow anyone to make you feel like you shouldn’t give love and take chances in love.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
A: If I could really start a movement, The most important thing that comes to mind is making sure our youth is mentally and emotionally healthy. I truly believe if you do your best to protect children and give them less to heal from, the world would be a better place.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
A: The first person that comes to mind would be Michelle Obama. Being a woman, wife, and mother is a lot to handle on its own. She has been her own woman, while carrying so many other roles. She truly inspires so many and I would love to have lunch with her and see the side she shows the world, but also just her ‘kick it’ side.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
A: Yes, Instagram & Twitter is @kylapratt
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
